Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Liard (Sep 20/02) - Even as a little boy, Joe Michel had a flair for putting things together.

"When I was a kid I started with models and worked up from there," he said while standing amidst a yard full of auto parts, tools, tarps and lubricants.

Michel definitely has a soft spot for Chevy Silverados as he now has three of the aging pickup trucks in his driveway. The first vehicle he worked on was a carburetted 1980 Silverado that he had purchased. It had good tires, but no engine and no transmission. Collecting and installing parts from other vehicles, he kept that truck running for six years before the body rusted out.

"I love building them. It's just like a little toy ... It's just the scrapes I don't like, bumps and scrapes," he said revealing small gashes on his blackened, grease-ladened hands.

Some backyard mechanics became intimidated by the introduction of fuel-injected vehicles in the late 1980s, but not Michel. He actually converted a vehicle from carburation to fuel injection himself, adding various sensors and a command start to boot.

"It's pretty easy stuff. All you've got to remember is it's just wiring and a computer," he explained, adding that he regularly replaces ball joints, U-joints, shocks and brakes.

Michel's mechanical savvy landed him a temporary job with Beaver Enterprises earlier this month. He filled in for the regular mechanic who was away.

"I wouldn't mind starting my own business," he said.

That would involve a substantial financial investment. Tools don't come cheap. Michel, who borrows large wrenches from a neighbour, has acquired an engine hoist, though.

"I've moved up from trees. I used to have tree poles," he said, smiling.

His inspiration for adding personal touches to vehicles comes from auto magazines and movies like The Fast and the Furious. For instance, he has installed funky brake pedal and gas pedal lights and tubular electro-lights in one truck.

"(I like) any little high-tech gadget I can get my hands on," he said.